Columnists

Pittsburgh, PA - Inside mission control at Voyager’s North Side headquarters, where engineers will steer the Griffin lander to the moon. (Shannon M Venditti)

Pittsburgh’s moon shot

Salena Zito · November 6, 2026 12:55 pm

marco rubio and jd vance

In the GOP, a new 2028 race

Blue wave congress

America does the right thing after exhausting every other option

Ken Paxton election night watch party

The Red Wedding election

From left: Sen.-elect Troy Jackson (D-ME) celebrates his victory over Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in Portland, Maine, Nov. 3, 2026; Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-TX) celebrates in Austin, Texas, Nov. 3, 2026; and Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton (D-KS) thanks supporters at a victory party in Overland Park, Kansas, Nov. 3, 2026. (From left: Scott Eisen/Getty; Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty; Austin Johnson/AFP/Getty)

Character matters, unfortunately for Republicans

They pose a challenge to both political parties, but especially to Republicans. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Reading the Kansas-4 and Georgia-6 tea leaves

Michael Barone April 19, 2017 8:17 pm

Democrats, combined with the GOP support, will produce more than the 218 signatures needed to push the bill that would revive the Export-Import Bank to the floor for a vote in late October. (AP Photo)

The Davos crowd learns to speak Trump’s language

Timothy P. Carney April 18, 2017 10:01 pm

De-industrialization is color-blind; it doesn't matter if your town is all white, or predominately black like Ford Heights. (Salena Zito/Washington Examiner)

A fragile hope in Ford Heights

Salena Zito April 16, 2017 6:00 am

There is something in common in the appeal of Perot and the appeal of third- and fourth-party candidates. (AP Photo, File)

Our three baby boomer presidents

Michael Barone April 13, 2017 12:00 pm

Without Bannon-like figures in the White House, emulating a Romney becomes two of his only three options. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The risk Trump takes in abandoning Steve Bannon

W. James Antle III April 13, 2017 4:01 am

Ambiguity could very likely be the fruit of an indecisive president or a divided administration. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Strategic ambiguity and peace through strength: A hopeful interpretation of Trump on Syria

Timothy P. Carney April 11, 2017 10:14 pm

In this Wednesday, March 1, 2017 photo, a woman walks on the Spanish side of the border between Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar with the Rock as a background, in La Linea de la Concepcion, Southern Spain. As Gibraltar braces itself to be dragged out of the European Union along with the United Kingdom, the livelihoods of nearly 300,000 people living in an economic region spanning two countries, have been thrown up in the air. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

Spain’s colonialism in Gibraltar

Dan Hannan April 10, 2017 4:03 am

The civil war has escalated as the Democratic primary race for governor moves front and center. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Why ‘Mudcat’ matters

Salena Zito April 9, 2017 4:02 am

now that the Senate has confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, it's worth saying that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell deserves a lot of credit. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Mitch McConnell deserves credit for Justice Gorsuch

Philip Klein April 7, 2017 4:33 pm

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, April 6, 2017, after the U.S. fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria Thursday night in retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

How to square Trump’s Syria attack with his campaign rhetoric

Philip Klein April 7, 2017 2:19 pm

Just take a glance at these news reports from what could have been your future. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Thinking about what might have been

Robert Ehrlich April 7, 2017 4:04 am

Mistrust that leads to abandonment of the rule of law invites retaliation. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Mistrust of Trump threatens political corrosion and rule of law

Michael Barone April 6, 2017 4:01 am